Approaches to reuse vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces
Open
Status as published by the data source.
Expected Outcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
• An increased number of local authorities systematically identify and quantify vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces for reuse in neighbourhoods[1] in a context-sensitive way to address local community[1] challenges and needs.
• Increase in renovated, renatured, or converted spaces that address local community challenges and needs. Scope:
Europe’s housing needs, inefficient use of the existing building stock, environmental commitments, and the EU’s goal of “no net land take” by 2050 make a compelling case for reusing the significant number of existing spaces, including buildings and infrastructure, that are vacant, obsolete or underutilised. In Europe, there are, for instance, an estimated 19,000 km² of underutilised brownfield land and 300 km² of vacant or underutilised office space[3].
The reuse of vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces, following circularity[1] and sufficiency principles, can help address community challenges and needs thanks to their typical proximity and connection to essential infrastructure and services.
While vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces are already being renovated, renatured or converted, this happens typically at individual scale or for temporary reuse. A systematic and context-sensitive approach is required that maps vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces with potential for reuse and involves local stakeholders in the reuse process to address local community challenges and needs in the long term.
It is also important to understand common reasons for the vacancy, obsolescence or underutilisation of spaces and challenges to their reuse, and to recognise that not all types of spaces are suitable for reuse. Factors can include, for example, building or infrastructure condition, location, and spatial or structural limitations; zoning regulations; legal barriers; lack of data; or lack of resources, funds, or incentives for property owners and public authorities to renovate spaces. In addition, certain vacant spaces might already fulfil important ecological or social functions by providing refuge to natural species as well as non-typical community lifestyles.
Proposals are expected to address all of the following:
• Develop a systematic and context-sensitive approach for vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces, including buildings or infrastructures. The approach must cover at least the following:
• Analysis of common drivers of the vacancy, obsolescence or underutilisation of spaces.
• Identification and prioritisation of vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces in the targeted neighbourhoods.
• Assessment of local community challenges and needs, of the identified spaces being reused to address those challenges and needs, and of potential side-effects or challenges of their reuse (such as overcrowding in the neighbourhood, loss or degradation of green areas, displacement of inhabitants, affordability, potential impacts on gentrification, or regulatory, legal, or funding challenges).
• In cases where the spaces already fulfil important ecological or social functions: Identification of measures to strengthen the spaces’ governance and oversight together with the community, while strengthening local regulatory frameworks, where relevant.
• Use of co-creation[1] methods to engage community stakeholders in the process.
• Identification of funding and financing mechanisms to support the reuse of the spaces.
• Validate the approach in at least three neighbourhoods in urban, peri-urban and rural areas located in different Member States and/or Associated Countries.
• Assess the social (e.g. accessibility, inclusion, social cohesion), cultural (e.g. aesthetics[6]), environmental (e.g. more sufficient resource use, waste reduction, biodiversity, climate resilience), and economic (e.g. economies of scale, efficiency) value of the approach.
• Provide recommendations to inform the adaptation of the approach in different neighbourhood contexts. Proposals are expected to follow a participatory[1] and transdisciplinary[1] approach through the integration of different actors and disciplines.
This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH)[1] disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions, as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.
Proposals are expected to allocate at least 0.8% of their budget for engaging with the Horizon Europe-funded 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' to share their intermediate and final results, findings and learnings, as well as to contribute to impact assessment.
[1] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.
[2] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.
[3] Edmond de Rothschild, ’THE €4 TRILLION OPPORTUNITY: REPURPOSING EUROPE’S BROWNFIELD SITES AND OFFICES’, 2025, https://www.edmond-de-rothschild.com/media/vj4lhpez/250211-pr-urban-regeneration-ginkgo-en.pdf
[4] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.
[5] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.
[6] See definition of ”beautiful” in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.
[7] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.
[8] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.
[9] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.
- Status
- Open
- Deadline
- (time not stated)
- Opens
- Published
- Total budget
- €9,000,000
- Grant range
- €4,500,000 – €4,500,000
- Country
- European Union (EU-wide)
- Programme
- Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- Official page
- Open at the source portal
Other calls under Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
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- Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADSM) for more efficient and flexible distribution grids
- Community of practice - Data-Driven Decision-Making in Energy
- Industrial processes and equipment for innovative, reliable and scalable tandem technologies (EUPI-PV Partnership)
- Integrated Approaches for Retrofitting Infrastructures with Innovative Energy Storage Technologies
- Demonstration of hydropower technologies for efficient and forward-looking refurbishment of existing hydropower plants
- Delivery of industrial CCUS clusters – Societal Readiness pilot
All calls under this programme
Similar opportunities
- Innovative solutions for the sustainable and beautiful use of vertical space
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- Intergenerational neighbourhoods and communities aligned with the New European Bauhaus
- Urban nature: supporting restoration of urban ecosystems, along urban transport networks and in the built environment
- Structurally addressing homelessness through coordinated social infrastructure and services in neighbourhoods
- Enhancing ecodesign and circularity of consumer electronics
Where this came from
- Source document
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/data/topicDetails/horizon-neb-2026-01-business-03.json
- Document fingerprint
ddcf252ce12c027f(SHA-256, first 16 hex characters)- Retrieved
- First recorded here
What has changed
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- deadline first recorded as 2026-12-01 on
- opens_on first recorded as 2026-05-05 on
- published_on first recorded as 2025-12-12 on
- status_basis first recorded as source_status on
- status first recorded as open on
- title first recorded as Approaches to reuse vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces on
Data source
© European Union, 2026. Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU — CC BY 4.0.
Retrieved from the source on .
The source last updated this document on Mon, 04 May 2026 22:01:47 GMT.
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